The Carnival

Permanent Location: Moscow, south of the Red Light District near the river.

The Carnival set up a permanent location when Dominick Vas started showing signs of the sickness. His sister Roza also displayed the sickness around the same time. Both children got better, but by then they had already erected permanent brick and mortar tiny houses painted in extravagant colors for their personal lodgings. The Carnival is a series of several tents and open buildings sitting next to the River.

The Carnival employees comprise mostly those who travelled with the carnival before they made a permanent home in Moscow. They stay for reasons of their own, entertaining the masses.

Side-Shows Available:

• Strong man – Denes Vas
• Tarot cards/Fortunes – Renáta Vas
• Snake Charmer – Viktoria Vas
• “Echoes of the Grove,” illusion, music and magic show – Dominick Vas & Roza Vas (formerly)
• “The Veil’s Embrace,” haunted attraction – Sámiel Pekelniak
• Silversmith – Fennix Vero
• Candy maker
• Basket Weaving
• Palm Reader/Fortunes – The Vero Sisters, rivals to the Vas family
• Tattooist – Ceija Vero
• The Dance Circle (theater/singing/dancing)
• A Petting Zoo
• Several Games of Chance
• Various others

Long rows of tapestries sequester the domicile buildings to separate the carnival from their homes. Meant to keep prying eyes from their private accommodations more than to keep people out.

The camp houses about 5 different Romani families (including the Vas family, the Kádár family, the Pekelniak family, and the Vero family), for at least six generations or more. Romani families arrange marriages with other families outside their carnival to keep the blood fresh. The elders encourage young Romani women to foster relations at an appropriate age with outsiders to bring in new blood without ties.

Most children remain with the carnival but a few move away or come home, eventually.

The Vas Family

• Renáta Vas (Carnival Leader/Fortuneteller) – mother “false prophet” (note: Sister to Zeke’s mother)
  • sharp, disciplined, and unflinchingly protective. Her tarot and palmistry guides the carnival, and her authority shapes her children. She demands obedience and sacrifice, prioritising the family’s legacy over personal desire, but her care is always present beneath her stern exterior.
• Denes Vas (Strong Man) – father
  • steady and dependable, the family’s physical anchor. Stoic and protective, he guides with example, providing strength and stability to both the Vas children and the carnival.
• Kada Vas (Animal handler) – younger brother 15
  • adventurous, impulsive, and fond of animals. Dominik often tempers his recklessness, guiding his energy with patience.
• Albert Vas (runner) – youngest brother 10
  • curious, fast, and eager to help. He admires Dominik and Roza, learning responsibility while exploring the carnival world.
• Dominik Vas (magic show) – eldest brother 25
• Viktoria Vas (snake charmer) oldest sister 23
  • calm, observant, and skilled with creatures most feared. Practical yet independent, she acts as a bridge between her siblings’ extremes and offers quiet loyalty.
• Nusa Vas – baby sister (3 years old)
  • the family’s spark of joy, watched over by all.
• Roza Vas – age 19
• Esper – age 18

The Vero Family

• Esma Vero (Palm reader/Fortune teller) – Mother (twin)
• Eirini Vero (Palm reader/Fortune teller) – Aunt (twin)
• Fennix Vero (Silversmith) – Father
• Masilda Vero (Fortunes) – daughter, 20 (twin)
• Maira Vero (Fortunes) – daughter, 20 (twin)
• Ceija Vero (Tattoist) – daughter, 25
• Lalitha Vero (Fortunes/musician) – niece, 23

The Pekelniak Family

• Josef Pekelniak – Father, patriarch, semi-retired. Once a barker and illusionist; now a quiet presence. A man with cloudy eyes and a past of questionable decisions. Keeps a drink in one hand and a secret in the other. Still commands respect through silence and memory. Deeply aware of the Carnival’s unspoken rules and dangers.
• Tereza Pekelniak – Eldest sister, family caretaker, enforcer of order. Manages supplies and food, unofficial “mom” of the trailers. Sharp-tongued, perpetually annoyed, and hard to impress. Often seen covered in flour, scowling. She pretends not to care about Sámiel’s theatrics but watches every show from a distance.
• Sámiel Pekelniak – Middle child, performer. Headliner of the Carnival’s infamous horror show. Revered and feared for his macabre genius. A flamboyant, gender-nonconforming showman. He disappears often and never explains where he’s been. The family tolerates his eccentricities because his work fills tents and keeps the cash flowing. Estranged yet still tethered
• Marek Pekelniak – Younger brother, the steady one. Tentmaster and rigging specialist—keeps the Carnival running behind the scenes. Gruff but dependable. Doesn’t care for drama but has a soft spot for his eccentric brother. Knows more than he lets on. Good with a wrench. Perpetually covered in grease smears.
• Aneta Pekelniak – Tereza’s daughter (niece to Sámiel), age 6. Too young to work but often seen flitting around with a wild imagination. Admires Uncle Sámiel and is delighted by his gifts of spooky trinkets. She believes in monsters and magic without question. Perhaps she’s not wrong.